


Bankai: Lotus Jewel Abyss Wisdom

by Corinne K (Corinne_K)



Category: Bleach
Genre: After 685, Bankai, Bankai theory, Gen, If Kubo doesn't show it..., Sogyo no Kotowari - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 06:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7747159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corinne_K/pseuds/Corinne%20K
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All in all it was a sword of compassion...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bankai: Lotus Jewel Abyss Wisdom

**Author's Note:**

> Possible triggers for drowning; mild spoilers up to chapter 685; adaptation of buddhist concepts with some "artistic license".

All in all, it was a sword of compassion. 

We stand face to face by the cliff. No one in a radius of a mile, the same arrangement from a week ago, when I showed him mine. 

An autumn wind sweeps our robes, his long hair. We have our swords released, we take a fighting stance.  

"Are you ready?" 

"Hai." 

He calls it and his voice is deep and smooth like a wave in open water.  

"Ban-kai: Lotus Jewel, Abyss Wisdom." 

His twin blades disappear and a prayer wheel with a single charm is in his hand. He spins it, eyes closed, and as the charm completes one cycle, we fall. 

Water. Somehow I knew it had to involve water. 

We plunge in a swirl of foam and bubbles. As we descend the light dims and an irresistible force pulls us further down.  

I lose control as the air leaves my lungs and is replaced with water. This is it. A bankai that drowns the enemy, a painful death, leaving an unsightly swollen corpse in its wake. 

'Don't be silly, Shunsui. Relax.' 

I try. I suppress the panic the best I can and let my body fall to the depths of the ocean. 

When all clarity finally dies I can't see him anymore. Everything is silence and darkness, but I can still breathe. I focus on that action alone and abandon myself to what is given to me. 

I stand at that precipice of introspection for seconds that turn into minutes. I imagine an eternity in this darkness. Not being able to see the sun again, not being able to eat, drink, talk, listen to the exquisite voice of a singer or the giggles of children, not being able to touch a beloved person's soft skin ever again. Can I accept such fate and embrace a life of detachment? 

"Shunsui." 

I open my eyes and in the darkness a small light shines. It moves in gentle swings as it approaches. A transparent body, a sort of squid or cuttlefish, with a luminescent point within it. I reach for it and it brushes my index before disappearing.  

"Jūshirō?" 

And suddenly he is before me. He sits in lotus pose with his eyes closed. He glows faintly and his skin is almost as translucent as the sea creature's. A light shines within his united palms. I understand it, finally, and he knows it is enough. 

"Let's go back." 

When I return to my senses he his cradling me in his arms. We are both soaked and we feel cold as the wind rises over the cliff. It will take us some time to recover our strength, so we just stay still. 

We, old souls, are not suited for practicality. A sword that freezes the enemy or slices through him with a thousand blades. Many times I envied such utilitarian powers, and wondered why couldn't we have them too. But then I would slap my own face and remember the words he said that afternoon, as we lay soaked and limp on a windy cliff: 

"The longer you remain in the abyss, the lower your chances of survival. I cannot control their death, I can only hope that they stay alive." 

The zanpakutō cuts to purify, but Sōgyo no Kotowari was able to purify without cutting. It was... it is... a sword of wisdom, a blade of compassion.

So if you remember just one word after you are out of here, heading off to face the world, may that word be compassion.

And that's it for today, folks. Thank you for listening to this old man and a very warm welcome to Shin'ō Academy! 

**Author's Note:**

> Side effects of engaging too much with fictional characters - you dream about them. And I woke up thinking ‘why not’? It makes sense to me. Enjoy and please leave a comment. What do you think? A bankai of enlightenment? How did you imagine it / what would you have liked it to be?


End file.
